Knee-pad.



No. {Br/719. Y PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907. W. R., S. R. W. H. CHAMBERS.

KNEE PAD.

APPLICATION $11.111) MAR. e. 1907.

A TIO RNE ys NTTE STATES PATENT OFFIOEt WILLIAM ROLEIGH CHAMBERS, SOLOMON ROE CHAMBERS, AND WADE HAMPTON CHAMBERS, OF MAY, TEXAS.

KNEE-PAD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 190'7.

Application filed March 6,1907.Y Serial No. 360,856.

To all whom, it may con/cern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM ROLEIGH CHAMBERS, SOLOMON ROE CHAMBERS, and WADE HAMPTON CHAMBERS, citizens of the United States, residing at May, in the county of' Brown and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Knee-Pad, vof which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to knee pads to be Worn by persons employed in that class of labor which keeps them more or less constantl y on their knees, the principal object of the'invention being to provide a pneumatic pad made of strong, flexible material containing an inflatable rubber bag, and of such shape as to be easily and quickly attached to the leg just below the knee, the pad being of such construction as to hug the sides of the leg closely so as to permit the wearer walking on his padded knees with ease and comfort.

This invention is intended primarily for persons who pick cotton in the field, a class of labor that necessitates the operators walking upright upon their knees, with their legs flexed at right angles and knees close together. In thisI position the laborers are compelled to move rapidly over rough and uneven ground, through thorns and briars and to encounter other obstacles, which, without suitable' pads on their knees, would be a di'l'li'cult if not at times an impossible l task.

Pads and padding of various kinds have been heretofore employed by cotton pickers, but nothing so far as known has given a large measure of success. Various reasons, not necessary to mention here, havebeen the cause of previous failures, and it is to overcome the defects inherent in other knee pads that the present invention is due.

l/Vith this and other objects in view the invention consists in the peculiar construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the knee pad oomplete. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same.

Similar numerals of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

The knee pad may be made of any flexible strong material capable of resisting penetration by thorns and briars and serious cuts from stones, glass and like materials usually found upon the ground. Leather has been found to serve the purpose admirably and will be described throughout this specification as the material of which the pad is made.

Thev numeral 1 indicates an outer strip and 2 an inner strip of leather of substantially equal size and shape being Wider at its longitudinal center and tapering gradually toward each end so as to form a broad walking surface that will project well forward under the knees but will be comparatively narrow at the side and back of the leg, where bulkiness would be in the way of quick locomotion. The length of these strips is suflicient to pass around the front and sides of the leg and may or may not meet at `the back thereof. The strips l and 2 are united at their edges by stitching 3 in any way known to the leather working art for producing a strong connection.

Fastened to the edges of the pad by the same stitches 3, that unite the outer and inner sections l and 2, are two folds of leather 4-5 which extend from one end to the other of said pad and inwardly to about the center. These folds strengthen the pad, make it softer for the wearer and for another purs pose to be mentioned later.

Between the outer and inner strips l and 2 is placed an iniiatable bag 6, preferably of rub- .er, provided with a tube and lling valve 7 projecting through one side of the pad, by

means of which air is forced into the bag. The longitudinal dimension ofthe air bag 6 is less than that of the knee pad as its cushioning eifectis not required at the sides of the leg and would, if permitted to extend around Iso far, bulge outwardly and cause the Aknees to interfere when the wearer is walking. To define the limit of the bag a row of stitching 8 is run between the inner cover 2 and the side folds 4 and 5 as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The stitching 8 which is above the stitching 3 is separated therefrom at the center of the pad the greatest distance and gradually approaches the stitching 3 at each end until it merges with it at the points 9.

Means for fastening the pad to the leg may be of any approved form, the one shown in the drawing consists of a strap and buckle fastened to one end of the pad, the other end of the pad having loops l() through which the strap l1 passes.

The application of the pad to the knee will IOG be readily understood by an inspection of the drawings and without further description than to say that it is placed around the u per part of the leg just under the knee an the ends carried backward and fastened securely together by the strap ll which is passed behind the leg through the loops l() and after drawing it sutliciently tight to hold the pad in place, secured to the buckle 12.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is A knee pad, comprising an inner and an outer strip of leather united at their edges by stitching, a fold of leather connected by the same stitching to each edge of the pad and extending inwardly over the inner fold 2, an inflatable bag between said inner and outer strips, and fastening means on the ends of said knee pad.

In testimony that we clairn the foregoing as our own, we have hereto a'l'l'ixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM ROLEIGH CHAMBERS. SOLOMON VROE CHAMBERS. WADE HAMPTON CHAMBERS.

Vitnesses:

H'. P. TAYLOR, B. H. BETTIS. 

